The present invention relates to electronic mail messaging through a synchronization protocol using a mobile device. More specifically, the present invention relates to responding to truncated electronic mail messages on a mobile device.
Mobile devices include a broad range of computing and communication devices that are small enough to be conveniently carried by a user. Examples of such devices include mobile phones, personal digital assistants, tablet PCs, and lap-top PCs.
Generally, the mobile device includes a processor, random access memory (RAM), and an input device such as a keyboard, touchpad or input buttons and a display. The keyboard can be integrated with the display, such as when the keyboard is incorporated as a touch sensitive display. A communication interface is optionally provided and is commonly used to communicate with other computers. A replaceable or rechargeable battery powers the mobile device. Optionally, the mobile device can receive power from an external power source that overrides or recharges the built-in battery.
While a wide variety of computing tasks and applications can be performed by such mobile devices, personal information managers (PIMs) are particularly well suited to mobile devices. PIMs typically comprise applications which enable the user of the mobile device to better manage scheduling and communications, and other such tasks. Some commonly available PIMs include scheduling and calendar programs, task lists, address books, and electronic mail (e-mail) programs. Some commonly commercially available PIMs are sold under the trademarks “MICROSOFT SCHEDULE+” and “MICROSOFT OUTLOOK” and are commercially available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. In addition to PIMs, however, such mobile devices may also run different types of applications, such as word processors, spread sheets, etc.
To provide users with as much freedom as possible, it is desirable to allow the user to access and change their application and PIM information from any device they choose. Thus, the user should be able to access their e-mail from a network terminal, a PDA, and a tablet PC, for example.
However, allowing the user to access and change their information from any desired source means that the devices must be able to communicate with each other to indicate changes to the information. The process of two devices sharing changes in the application and/or PIM information is known as synchronization.
In general, synchronization is not a continuous process. In other words, a mobile device does not continually try to synchronize its data because that would waste limited wireless bandwidth and place an undue drain on the mobile device's battery. Instead, synchronization is performed periodically. In addition, since the mobile device is not always in use, it is wasteful to have a server or desktop computer periodically attempt to establish a connection with the mobile device to perform synchronization. Instead, the mobile device is responsible for establishing a connection to perform synchronization.
In the past, in order to accommodate limited transmition bandwidths, mobile devices often received truncated electronic mail messages. In other words, if a mail message had a long message body, it was often transmitted to the mobile device in truncated fashion, in which a pre-designated number of lines of text in the main message body were sent and the rest of the main message body was not. In such mobile devices, the user could then select the message for download and have the entire text of the message downloaded to the mobile device. The same generally applied to attachments. Initially, they would not be sent to the mobile device but could be selected for download.
Also, in the past, in order to reply to, or forward, electronic mail messages from a mobile device, the user simply executed the necessary instructions required by the particular electronic mail messaging PIM. The electronic mail message object created when the user indicated that the reply or forward should be sent was then transmitted, on a periodic basis, to a server which sent the electronic mail message object to the appropriate recipient. However, where the user was replying to, or forwarding, a truncated electronic mail message, then only the truncated message was sent on to the ultimate recipient identified in the forwarded or reply message.